Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Marshmallows, Maca & Moroccan Spice

One of the first things I noticed at the 2017 Winter Fancy Food Show were delicious tasting marshmallows. There have been “gourmet” marshmallows in the past, but frankly, I haven't been very impressed with them. The ones I tried this year were much better. There were three brands that stood out.

Smashmallow has very unique flavors like Root Beer Float, Strawberries & Cream, Meyer Lemon Chia Seed and Roasted Coconut Pineapple. Dandies offers all natural vegan marshmallows with a very light fluffy texture in vanilla, vanilla peppermint and pumpkin. Another discovery was Madyson’s Marshmallows. They offer various flavors but also marshmallows stuffed with chocolate and peanut butter chips. I can only imagine how good they would be toasted over an open fire!

Moroccan spice is nothing new, but it does seem to be showing up in new ways—as a flavoring for popcorn, crackers, chips and peanut butter. I didn’t try each of these but I found them interesting as a developing trend. Have you had any outstanding Moroccan spiced foods?

Maca is a Peruvian plant becoming more and more common as a healthful “superfood.” It has fatty acids and amino acids and is used for a variety of ailments. In Peru it’s roasted. While added to everything from granola to energy bars and powder you can add to smoothies, I liked it best in Macaccino an organic roasted maca drink mix that provides energy without caffeine.As is often the case with ingredients marketed as superfoods, not all maca products taste great, but Macaccino does. It's earthy and a bit reminiscent of roasted grain beverages like roasted malt or chicory. It’s blended with cocoa, mesquite powder, cinnamon and nutmeg and comes in three different formulations original, magical mint and black reserve which includes black, red and yellow maca.